Method of weaving pile fabric and the resulting product



S. P. PARKER June 12, 1962 METHOD OF WEAVING PILE FABRIC AND THE RESULTING PRODUCT 4 Sheets-Sheet 11 Filed June 8, 1959 INVENTOR Sa/mlei j? fwzi'er June 12, 1962 METHOD OF WEAVING Filed June 8. 1959 s. P. PARKER 3,038,504

PILE FABRIC AND THE RESULTING PRODUCT 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I .62 i3 44 ,1 M J' 5,; a /6C' INVENTOR 6c 30 SamzzelfifwM ATTORNEYS June 12, 1962 S. P. PARKER METHOD OF WEAVING FILE FABRIC AND THE RESULTING PRODUCT Filed June 8. 1959 4 sheets sheet 4 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,638,504 Patented June 12, 1962 3,038,504 METHGD F WEAVTNG FILE FABRIC AND Tim REULTING PRODUCT Samuel P. Parker, La Grange, Ga, assignor to Callaway Mills Company, La Grange, Ga, a corporation of Georgia Filed June 8, 1959, Ser. No. 818,531 4 Claims. (Cl. 1.39-4tl2) The present invention relates to a method of weaving a pile fabric and to the fabric produced by such method. The invention is particularly concerned with the weaving of loop pile fabrics in which the pile loops are securely anchored against being pulled from the fabric.

Fabrics produced according to the present invention find particular utility in the construction of fabric jackets for railway journal pads. It has long been customary to pack railway journal boxes with cotton waste to hold a supply of lubricant and to wick such lubricant to the journals of the railway car axles. The use of cotton Waste has frequently resulted in portions of the waste being wrapped around the journal or in becoming lodged between the journal and the journal bearing with the result that excessive friction is created which causes so-called hot boxes. There is a present trend toward replacing cotton Waste in journal boxes with journal pads. Such journal pads may take the form of a fabric jacket having internal pockets in which are inserted resilient material which holds a surface of the jacket against the journal. The fabric jackets have many advantages when constructed of pile fabric. Pile fabrics may possess excellent oil absorbency and oil wicking properties and they have little tendency to glaze as a result of continual rubbing by the rotating journal. Pile fabrics heretofore produced for use as jackets of journal pads have had the disadvantage that the pile loops may become elongated by pulling of the pile yarns from the body of the fabric. When the loops of a journal pad jacket become elongated, there is danger that the elongated loops will wrap about the journal or will become lodged between the journal and the bearing with adverse results which were sought to be avoided by substitution of journal pads for cotton waste. The fabric of the prresent invention also finds utility in other fields in which firm retention of the loops in the fabric is of importance.

One of the primary objects of the invention is to produce a pile fabric in which the pile forming yarns are tightly secured in the body of the fabric to thereby eliminate the likelihood of the pile elements becoming elongated.

Another object of the invention is to produce a fabric suitable for use in jackets for journal pads, which fabric has good oil absorption and oil wicking properties and in which the pile loops of the fabric do not become elongated during rough usage or Wear.

Another object of the invention is to rapidly and economically produce a loop pile fabric in which the pile loops are firmly anchored in the body of the fabric.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a fabric having high pile loops which are firmly anchored in the fabric.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention are obtained by a novel manipulation of pile-forming Warp yarns during the weaving process. The pile warp yarns pass back and forth over other Warp yarns 16 are supplied from and are bound alternately on opposite sides of such other warp yarns by alternate filling threads. After a pileforming yarn is passed back and forth over another warp yarn and has been bound as indicated for a number of times, a pile loop is pulled in the pile-forming yarn. The pile-forming yarns are separated from each other laterally of the fabric by stripes of plain woven fabric which adds to the strength and body of the product.

A more complete understanding of the invention can be had from the following description which has reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through a loom adapted for use in the practice of the invention, certain of the conventional parts of the loom being omitted;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the reed of the loom, looking generally in the direction of the arrows along the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevational view of a pile yarn manipulating harness which has both vertical and horizontal movement, this view being taken looking in the direction of the arrows along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a greatly enlarged and more or less diagrammatic View of a fabric produced in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 are fragmentary, perspective views showing portions of the loom in different positions and illustrating the manner in which the pile-forming yarns are manipulated.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the loom is provided with side members 8 which are connected at one end by a breast beam 10 over which the woven fabric 12 passes to a cloth roll or take-up roll 14. The ground warp yarns a war-p beam 13 and pass over a whip roll 20. Certain of the warp yarns 16:: pass through the heddle eyes of a conventional harness 22, while certain other warp yarns 16!) pass through the heddle eyes of a conventional harness 24. Selected warp yarns 16c pass through the eyes of heddles 26 of a stationary harness 28. The harness 28 remains stationary at all times and in a position to always retain the warp ends Me in the upper line of the shed formed by the warp ends 16a and 16b.

Pile warp yarns 30 from a warp beam (not shown) pass under a guide roller 32, over a friction roller 34 and under a bar 36carried by arms 38 which are mounted for pivotal movement about the shaft 40 of the friction roller 34. The pile warp yarns 30 then pass inactively through the harnesses 22, 24 and 28 to the eyes of doup needles 42 of a modified leno harness 44- which has both vertical and horizontal movement as hereinafter described.

As the warp ends 16 pass over the whip roll 20, the warp ends 160 are laterally spaced in the warp sheet and are separated from each other by a plurality of each of the warp ends 16a and 1611. There is a heddle 26 in the stationary harness 28 for each of the warp ends Me.

The warp ends 160 then pass through dents of the modi-.

fied leno harness 44 which are occupied by doup needles 42. One warp end 160 passes through a dent of the harness 44 with a pile warp yarn 30. The warp ends 16a and 16b pass through dents of the harness 44 which are unoccupied by doup needles 42 and by warp ends and pile warp yarns 3d.

The loom is provided with a lay 45 which includes swords 46 pivotally mounted on a shaft 48. The lay 45 '0 $1) is oscillated back and forth in the usual manner by a connecting rod 50 which is driven by a conventional loom crank shaft, not illustrated in the drawings.

The lay 45 supports a reed 52. The reed 52 includes a lower bar 54 which is mounted for horizontal reciprocation in a channel in the lay 45. The top bar 56 of the reed 52 slides in a channel in the reed cap 58 which is attached to the lay 45 by the swords 46. A pin 60 is secured to the lower bar 54 of the reed and is positioned within a notch in the end of a bell crank 62 which is pivotally attached to the lay 45 by a pin 64. The other arm of the bell crank 62 is connected to a rod 66 which extends downwardly and is attached to one arm of a bell crank 68. The bell crank 68 is pivotally mounted to the frame of the loom at 70. The other arm of the bell crank 68 is attached to a rod 72 which is in turn connected to a lever 74 pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine at 75. The lever 74 is oscillated by a cam 76 on the loom pick shaft 78. It will be seen that the cam 76 will move the reed 2 to the right (to the left as viewed in FIGURE 2) during each rotation of the loom pick shaft 78. A tension spring member 80 is secured to the reed 5 2 and to one of the swords 46 and serve to move the reed in the opposite direction when permitted to do so by the cam 76. The mechanism for imparting horizontal movement to the reed 52 and the mechanism hereinafter described for pulling loops in the pile warp yarns are similar to corresponding mechanisms described in my prior United States Patent No. 2,610,652, issued September 16, 1952.

A pair of levers 82 are pivotally mounted on the shaft 48 and extend upwardly on opposite sides of the cloth 12. A horizontal shaft 84 is pivotally mounted in the upper ends of the levers 82 and is positioned above the cloth 12. A pair of arms 86 are fixed to the shaft 84 and carry rollers 88 at their outer ends which are positioned in stationary and inclined guides 90. An angle iron 92. is fixed to the shaft 84. The angle iron 92 has secured thereto a bar 94 which carries a hook 96 for each of the pile warp yarns 30. The details of the hooks 96 and the manner in which the angular relationship of the angle iron 92 and the arms 86 can be adjusted to control the height of the loops are more fully described in my aforesaid Patent No. 2,610,652.

A double-ended hook 598 is pivotally attached to one of the levers 82 and ordinarily engages a catch 100 secured to the breast beam 10, as illustrated in FIGURE 1. In this position of the double-ended hook )8, the levers 82 are held against a resilient bumper 162 on the breast beam and the loop-pulling mechanism is inactive. A rod 184 is connected to the hook 98 and to a bell crank 106 which is pivotally mounted on a lever 82 at 108. A rod 110 is connected to the other arm of the bell crank 106 and to a bell crank 112 which is pivotally mounted to the frame at 114. The other arm of the bell crank 112 is attached to a rod 116 which is operated at desired intervals by any suitable control device, such as a dobby mechanism or a jacquard. At any desired time when the lay 45 has moved upwardly to accomplish the beating up, the rod 116 may be actuated and, through the linkages just described, the hook 98 will be released from the catch 100 and will engage a catch 118 secured to the lay. The levers 82 are then held in engagement with resilient bumpers 120 on the lay and the levers 82 and the loop-forming hook mechanism carried thereby follow the lay during one cycle of rearward and forward movement of the lay to form loops in the pile warp yarns in the manner hereinafter described. The double-ended hook 98 is then actuated to again engage the catch 1% on the breast beam 10 and the loop-forming hook mechanism is inactivated until it is again desired to form loops in the pile warp yarns 30.

On rearward movement of the loop-forming mechanism, the hooks 96 pass between the pile warp yarns 30 in front of the reed 52. The reed 52 is then moved horizontally by the mechanism described above to place a pile yarn 36 in each of the hooks 96. The hooks thus draw slack in the pile warp yarns during the beat up operation to form pile loops.

Modified leno harness 44 is moved vertically by a member 122 actuated by any suitable conventional mechanism not illustrated in the drawings. The harness 44 is moved horizontally by a lever 124 (FIGURE 3) which is pivoted at 126 to the frame of the loom. The lever 124 carries pins 128 and 138 which are positioned on opposite sides of a U-shaped bracket 132 secured to end member 134 of the harness. A rod 136 connects the upper end of the lever 124 to one arm of a bell crank 138 which is pivoted to the frame of the loom at 146. A rod 142 is connected to the other arm of the bell crank 138 and to a lever 144 of a dobby head. The lever 144 is pivoted on a stationary pivot 146 and is oscillated at appropriate intervals by a conventional dobby chain designated generally by the reference numeral 148. The harness 44 is thus moved to the left as seen in FIGURE 3 and is returned to the right by means of a tension spring member 150 secured to the harness 44 and to any suitable fixed portion of the loom.

The operation of the apparatus will now be described. It has been indicated above that there is one pile warp yarn 30 for each warp end 16c. It has also been indicated that the warp ends 16c are laterally spaced in the warp sheet and are separated from each other by a plurality of warp ends 16a and 16b. An excellent fabric can be produced by placing a total of six warp ends 16a and 16b between each adjacent pair of warp ends 160. This number can be increased or decreased, but it is not recommended that more than four or five warp ends be present in each inch of Width of the fabric.

Referring first to FIGURE 3, it will be seen that a pile warp yarn 36 and a warp end 160 pass through the same dent of the harness 44. The warp ends 16a and 16b pass through dents of the harness which are unoccupied by a pile warp yarn 30 or a warp end 160. The warp ends 16c are always retained in the upper line of the shed by the stationary harness 28. The vertical and horizontal movement of the harness 44 first lowers the pile yarns 38 to the right of the warp ends 16c (as viewed in FIGURE 3) and to the lower line of the shed. This position of one of the pile yarns 30 is designated by the reference numeral 30a. A first pick of filling is then inserted in the shed by the shuttle 152. The harness 44 then moves the pile warp yarns 30 to their upper most positions above the upper line of the shed. A second pick of filling is then inserted in the shed. The harness 44 then moves the pile warp yarns 30 to the left of their corresponding warp ends 16c and to the bottom line of the shed. This position of one of the pile warp yarns is designated by the reference numeral 36b. A third pick of filling is then inserted in the shed. The harness 44 then returns the pile warp yarns to their uppermost position and a fourth pick of filling is inserted in the shed. This sequence of steps is then repeated. FIGURE 5 illustrates a pile warp yarn 341 in its lower position on one side of its corresponding warp end 160 and FIGURE 6 illustrates a pile warp yarn in its lower position on the opposite side of the warp ends 16c.

At certain of the times that the pile warp yarns 30 are above the upper line of the shed, the loop-forming mechanism is placed in operation as described above and the hooks 96 draw slack in the pile warp yarns 30, as indicated in FIGURE 7, and this slack is formed into pile loops on the following beat up operation. The loops may be formed on any even number of picks. A

greater number of picks between loop formation increases the tightness with which the loops are locked into the body of the fabric. It is not recommended that loops be formed on. less than every six picks if very tightly held loops are desired.

FIGURE 4 illustrates the fabric in enlarged and more or less diagrammatic form. It will be seen that. the warp ends 16a and 1617 are woven in plain weave with the filling threads 154. Six of the warp ends 16a and 16b are shown between each of the warp ends 160. The warp ends 160 lie above all of the filling threads 154. The pile warp yarns 30 extend to the left of their corresponding warp ends 16c and beneath a first filling thread 154. The pile warp yarns then cross over their corresponding warp ends 16c and over a second filling thread 154. The pile warp yarns 30 then extend downwardly on the right of their corresponding warp ends 16c and beneath a third filling thread 154. The pile warp yarns 30 then again extend to the left over their corresponding warp ends 16c and over a fourth filling thread 154. This pattern is then repeated. FIG- URE 4 illustrates pile loops 156 formed on every sixth pick.

Two pile warp yarns 30 may be run together through some or all of the doup needles 42. Two such pile warp yarns are indicated by reference numerals 30c and 30d in FIGURE 4 and it will be seen that double pile loops 158 are formed. The double pile loops are advantageous in fabrics which are intended to eifectively absorb and wick lubricating oil.

Although not so illustrated in FIGURE 4, the pile warp yarns 30 are preferably much coarser than the warp yarns 16a, 16b and 160 and the filling threads 154. The pile warp yarns should also have good oil absorbing and wicking properties. It should be pointed out that when the fabric is more tightly woven than is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGURE 4, the crossings of the pile warp yarns over their respective warp ends 16c will be very closely spaced and will be almost parallel. It will be seen that the pile loops 156 are aligned in longitudinal and transverse rows. It will also be seen that the longitudinal rows of pile loops are separated by stripes of plain woven fabric. It has been found that great force is required to elongate the loops by pulling and that the loops cannot be elongated to any appreciable extent without substantial destruction of the adjacent portions of the fabric.

I have illustrated and described what I now consider to be the preferred forms of the invention. It will be appreciated that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the broader scope of the invention which is defined by the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A woven pile fabric comprising laterally spaced first warp ends lying above all the filling threads, said first warp ends being separated from each other by a plurality of second warp ends woven in plain weave with the filling threads, a pair of pile warp yarns extending generally along each of said first warp ends, each pair of pile warp yarns extending to the right of its corresponding first warp end beneath a first filling thread, then crossing over its corresponding first warp end and over a second filling thread and extending to the left of its corresponding first warp end beneath a third filling thread, each pair of pile warp yarns thereafter crosssing over its corresponding first warp end and over a fourth filling thread before repeating the foregoing ar rangement, there being pile loops on the upper surface of the fabric formed by said pairs of pile warp yarns at some only of the said points at which such pairs of pile warp yarns cross over their corresponding first warp ends, said pile loops being aligned in longitudinal and transverse rows and the pile loops in each longitudinal row being separated from each other by a plurality of said crossings of the pair of pile warp yarns back and forth over its corresponding first warp end.

2. A woven pile fabric comprising laterally spaced first warp ends lying above all the filling threads, said first warp ends being separated from each other by a plurality of second warp ends woven in plain weave with the filling threads, a pile warp yarn extending generally along each of said first warp ends, each pile Warp yarn extending to the right of its corresponding first warp end beneath a first filling thread, then crossing over its corresponding first warp end and over a second filling thread and extending to the left of its corresponding first warp end beneath a third filling thread, each pile warp yarn thereafter crossing over its corresponding first warp end and over a fourth filling thread before repeating the foregoing arrangement, there being pile loops on the upper surface of the fabric formed by said pile warp yarns at some only of the said points at which such pile warp yarns cross over their corresponding first warp ends, said pile loops being aligned in longitudinal and transverse rows, each longitudinal row of loops being spaced from adjacent longitudinal rows by stripes of plain woven fabric, and the pile loops in each longitudinal row being spaced from each other by a plurality of said crossings of the pile warp yarn back and forth over its corresponding first warp end.

3. A method of weaving a pile fabric which method comprises selecting a group of laterally spaced first warp ends separated by a plurality of other warp ends; providing at least one pile warp yarn for each of said first warp ends; inserting a first pick of filling in a first shed in which some of said other warp ends are below the level of the pick of filling, in which some of said other warp ends are above the level of the pick of filling, in which said first warp ends are above the level of the pick of filling, and in which each of said pile warp yarns is below the level of the pick of filling and to the right of its corresponding first warp end; inserting a second pick of filling in a second shed in which the positions of said other warp ends are reversed from those occupied thereby in said first shed, in which said first warp ends are above the level of the pick of filling, and in which said pile warp yarns are above the level of the pick of filling; inserting a third pick of filling in a third shed in which said other warp ends are in the same positions as in said first shed, in which said first warp ends are above the level of the pick of filling, and in which each of the pile warp yarns is below the level of the pick of filling and to the left of its corresponding first warp end; inserting a fourth pick of filling in a fourth shed in which said other warp ends are in the same positions as in said second shed, in which said first warp ends are above the level of the pick of filling, and in which said pile warp yarns are above the level of the pick of filling; repeating the foregoing sequence of inserting picks of filling into sheds; and drawing slack in said pile warp yarns only during spaced apart ones of the times they are disposed above the level of the picks of filling to form longitudinal and transverse rows of pile loops on the upper surface of the fabric with the said longitudinal rows of pile loops being separated from each other by stripes of plain woven fabric and with the pile loops in each longitudinal row being spaced from each other by at least one of the crossings of the pile warp yarn over its corresponding first warp end.

4. A woven loop pile fabric comprising a plurality of spaced apart groups of interwoven with said filling threads, other warp threads disposed in the spaces between said groups of ground warp ends with a portion of said other warp threads in each of said spaces passing over each filling thread, and pile warp yarns interwoven with said filling threads in said spaces between said groups of ground warp ends; each pile warp yarn crossing to the right over one of said other warp thread portions and over a first filling filling threads, ground warp ends 4 thread, then extending downward under a second filling thread and upwardly again, then crossing to the left over one of said other Warp thread portions and over a third filling thread, then extending downward under a fourth filling thread and upward again before repeating the above arrangement; there being pile loops on the upper surface of the fabric formed by said pile warp yarns at some only of the points at which such pile warp yarns cross over said other warp threads, said pile loops being aligned in longitudinal and transverse rows, each longi tudinal row of loops being spaced from adjacent longitudinal rows by strips of woven fabric formed by said ground warp ends and said filling threads, and the pile loops in each longitudinal row being spaced from each other by at least one of the crossings of the pile warp yarn over another warp thread portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,378 Randall Aug. 20, 1940 2,355,789 Faber Aug. 15, 1944 2,371,038 Faber Mar. 6, 1945 2,486,942 Groat Nov. 1, 1949 2,860,669 Moberg Nov. 18, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 534,492 Belgium June 2-8, 1955 

